Burton Gilliam

Burton Gilliam
Gilliam at the 2019 GalaxyCon Raleigh
Born	(1938-08-09) August 9, 1938 (age 86) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1973–present
Spouse	Susan Gilliam
Children	2
Relatives	Hollie Vise (granddaughter)

Burton Gilliam (born August 9, 1938) is an American actor. He is best known for memorable roles in several popular 1970s movies such as Blazing Saddles^[1] and Paper Moon, as well as comedic cameos in Back to the Future, Part III (1990) and Honeymoon in Vegas.

Biography

Career

Before acting, Gilliam was a member of the Coast Guard's boxing team, where he won 201 out of 217 fights.^[2] He remained in the boxing world for decades, working as a referee in California.

While working as a firefighter for the city of Dallas,^[2] Gilliam appeared in the role of "Floyd", the desk clerk, in the film Paper Moon. He then went on to appear in such popular movies as Blazing Saddles and Back to the Future Part III. Performing in Blazing Saddles was difficult for him, since he played a despicable racist who repeatedly hurls racial insults (including "nigger") at the black characters, especially the hero, played by Cleavon Little. Gilliam was so uncomfortable with his use of that slur that he apologized to Little, who had to remind him that it simply was a word in the script and that the racial insults were treated unambiguously negatively since he was playing a villain. Gilliam was also embarrassed by being the main protagonist in the infamous campfire (eating baked beans and farting) scene.^[3]

Gilliam also has had roles in movies such as Honeymoon in Vegas, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, Farewell, My Lovely, Fletch, Gator, Telefon and The Terror Within II. His television appearances include Alice, Charlie's Angels, The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard and The Fall Guy, and he appeared as a regular on Evening Shade.

Personal life

Gilliam was born in Dallas, Texas. He lives with his wife, Susan, in Allen, Texas, just north of Dallas. He has two children and four grandchildren. His granddaughter Hollie Vise is an American former world champion artistic gymnast.

Gilliam graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1956 and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2004. In 2018, he was the grand marshal of the Dallas St. Patrick's Day parade.

Filmography

Films

• Paper Moon (1973) - Floyd (Desk Clerk)
• Blazing Saddles (1974) - Lyle
• Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) - Welder
• At Long Last Love (1975) - Man at Racetrack
• Farewell, My Lovely (1975) - Cowboy
• Hearts of the West (1975) - Lester
• The Night That Panicked America (1975) - Tex
• Gator (1976) - Smiley
• Another Man, Another Chance (1977) - Sheriff Murphy
• Telefon (1977) - Gas Station Attendant
• The Beasts Are on the Streets (1978) - Al Loring
• The Jericho Mile (1979) - Jimmy-Jack
• Foxfire Light (1982) - Deke
• Fletch (1985) - Bud
• Uphill All the Way (1986) - Corporal
• The Girl (1987)
• The Underachievers (1987) - Red
• Red River (1988) - Buster
• Back to the Future Part III (1990) - Elmer H. Johnson, Colt Gun Salesman
• The Terror Within II (1991) - Dewitt
• Quake (1992) - Willie
• Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) - Roy Bacon, Elvis Impersonator
• The Getaway (1994) - Gollie
• Wild Bill (1995) - Lynch
• Born to Be Wild (1995) - Dwayne
• Soccer Dog: The Movie (1999) - The Mail Man
• The Journeyman (2001) - Silas Bishop
• Mi Amigo (2002) - Older Pal Grisham
• An Eye for Detail (2002) - Professor William Seymore
• Sweet Hideaway (2003) - Det. Dick Johnson
• 88 Hits (2003) - Victor Bordeaux
• Shtickmen (2003) - Ray Sellers
• Drop Dead Sexy (2005) - Big Tex
• Killing Down (2006) - Turner
• Cake: A Wedding Story (2007) - Judge
• Fire from Below (2009) - Bubba
• Breaking the Press (2010)
• Shattered Dreams V (2012) Daddy
• Return to Vengeance (2012) - Leonard
• The Wisdom to Know the Difference (2014) - Jesse
• The Lucky Man (2017) - Pawn Broker's Dad

Television

• The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything (1980) - Hoover Hess
• The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite (1981) - Hoover Hess III
• North and South Book II (1986) - Cpl. Strock
• Dream West (1986) - Martineau
• Evening Shade (1990-1994) - Virgil
• The Love Bug (1997) - Mechanic Race Announcer

TV guest appearances

• The Waltons (1975) - J.D. Paulsen
• Charlie's Angels (1977) - Ulmer
• Alice (1976-1978) - Buford Baker / Jimmie Joe Castleberry
• Soap (1979) - Buck
• Young Maverick (1979) - Barbary Kid
• B. J. and the Bear (1979) - Lacy
• Flo (1980) - J.J. Castleberry
• The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1982) - Heep / Tom Colt
• Knight Rider (1983) - Trucker Gene
• Gun Shy (1983) - Jeremiah Jones
• The A-Team (1983) - Sheriff Jeff Lewis
• The Fall Guy (1983) - Sheriff
• Hail to the Chief (1985) - Clovis Montgomery
• Mama's Family (1987) - Bud
• Weird Science (1995) - Snake
• Sliders (1999) - Stage Driver
• Walker, Texas Ranger (1999) - Frank

Video games

• Redneck Rampage (1996) - Leonard (voice)
• Redneck Rampage Rides Again (1998) - Leonard (voice)

References

1. Lindsey, Craig (26 August 2019). "How 'Blazing Saddles' turned a Texan into a star". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
2. Brady, Shaun (February 22, 2019). "The man who will be remembered as a part of the first fart joke in movie history comes to New Hope". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
3. "'Blazing Saddles': What the Producers Didn't Want You to Know". History by Day. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2021.

External links

• Burton Gilliam at IMDb
• Burton Gilliam at mobygames.com